In my last post, I suggested that, in very broad strokes, photographers fall into one of two camps in terms of creative process. Some photographers do most of their work before releasing the shutter (journalists and wedding photographers, for example), while others do much of their creative work after-exposure, in post-production (for example, fine art and commercial photographers who engage in complex compositing).
Reading over my post, I admit, my thought seems a shitload more obvious than I had intended. Still, I think the point is worth considering. More important than identifying our photographic predilections, I think we should consider how to put this information to good use.
As a "straight" photographer, would it serve me to try compositing this club dancer into a vision I create in Photoshop?
Compositing for the “Straight” Photographer
Perhaps those of us who are primarily straight photographers — creating our images with little technical fuss — would do well to push ourselves to work on technical skills that don’t necessarily interest us.
This would refer to photographers like me. I’m a “Click and Go” Man. I do the technical stuff, but only (and sometimes begrudgingly) as a means to an end.
Perhaps I would do well to improve many of the technical (”nurture”) skills I avoid, such as compositing in Photoshop, which doesn’t really interest me.
Why would I work on a skill set that doesn’t interest me, that don’t relate to my current vision? Because, perhaps, by improving my range of technical skills I would further my image making in ways that I would find satisfying and surprising. It might open up doors.
“Straight” Photography for the Compositer
If you are an über photo techie, relying heavily on post-production techniques, maybe you would do well to practice some straight photography. Andrew Matusik’s experience would seem to support this.
Andrew Matusik is a fantastic commercial photographer who often spends dozens of hours in post-production working on a single image, and the results are stunning. Matusik started in photography by producing, for years, thousands of straight images — relying almost exclusively on basic in-camera techniques. Photographing while traveling, he most interested in light and composition.
Matusik has explained to me that this “straight” foundation in photography has proved invaluable in his compositing work: he knows what looks real. He says that without this point of reference, he would be lost as he creates visions in Photoshop.
